Stamped-steel couch-bed.



C. L. PLUNKETT.

STAMPED STEEL COUCH BED.

VAPPLIOATION FILED APR.14, 1909.

1,099,514. Patented June'9,1914.

3 SHEETS-SHEET 1.

Witnesses:

Inventor: C/zar/eaLHzazkeZt -9 h is Maria? U. L. PLUNKETT. STAMPBD STEEL 00mm BED.

APPLICATION IILEfJ APB..14, 1909.

Patented June 9, 1914.

3 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

:IflllllflIflfllllllfllllll Invento COLUMBIA PLANOGRAPH co., WASHINGTON, D- C.

Patented June 9,1914.

m Hm IBV T mm KMW D Wan LEN P D JEN 0m AI TL SP P A 3 SHBETS-SHEET 3.

5 we whom C arZes Z/. 351 am CHARLES L. IPLUNKETT, OF

COMPANY, 013 BROOKLYN,

NEW YORK, N. Y., ASSIGNOR TO AMERICAN COUCH NEW YORK, A. CORPORATION OF NEW YORK.

STAMPED-STEEL COUCH-BED.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented June t), 191 i.

Application filed April 14, 1909. Serial No. 489,828.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that 1, CHARLES L. PLUN- Kn'rr, a citizen of the United States, residing in New York, borough of Manhattan, in the'county of New York and State of New York, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Stamped-Steel Couch- Beds, of which the following is a specification.

The present improvement relates to metal formed couches, the object of the invention being to provide an improved metal couch simple in construction and its mode of assemblage, and more particularly to provide a couch the major part of the frame work of which is made of stamped steel or metal and so formed that the parts thereof may be readily assembled without the use of rivets or other similar fastening means and without the use of the machinery now necessary in the making and assembling of metal couches, and which structure can therefore be readily knocked down and stored in a small space.

A further object of the invention is to provide a metal couch with stamped steel or metal ends each provided with means for the attachment of various forms of side bars.

In the manufacture of the ordinary metal couch a number of machines as well as a large variety of dies and special tools are absolutely necessary in order to turn out such couches. The machines are not only expensive, but the dies are extremely so, and the wear and tear on such dies is so severe that their life is comparatively short. Not only is this true, but with such machinery and dies the time required to turn out a couch is a large item in its cost, and even when such couches are finished they lack any artistic appearance. is not practicable for the dealer to either make or assemble his own couches, as this requires a comparatively large capital in view of the large amount of machinery and dies necessary. Moreover, as a less number of couches can be shipped in a car when completely assembled and when the parts are unassembl'ed, it follows that the cost of shipment is increased, and this, of course, adds to the cost of the article.

lvloreover, a couch bed made in the manner disclosed herein weighs considerably less than an ordinary metal couch and can he In consequence it more easily handled ordinary couch and can, readily knocked down and comparatively small space.

Furthermore, by means of the present improvement the use of the machines and dies now necessary in couch manufacturing, and consequently the high cost thereof, is entirely eliminated, as the couch ends can be made by one hydraulic press, which can turn out parts for approximately twentyfive couches per minute, so that the dealer, by purchasing a hydraulic press, has the means of making his own couches, or the parts previo sly stamped out by the manufacturer can be shipped to him in bulk and can be readily assembled by the dealer without the use of any machinery whatsoever, so that the great loss heretofore resulting is overcome, while at the same time the couches can be finished up so as to have an artistic and ornamental appearance. The inevitable effect of the present improvement, therefore, would be to increase the couch business to a very great extent because the manufacture of couches would be strictly a local proposition, as every dealer could either make his own couches or have them shipped to him unassembled for assembling by himself.

In the drawings accompanying and forming part of this specification, Figure 1 is a perspective view of this improved stamped steel. couch, a part only of the metallic fabric being shown; Fig. 2 is a detail view, partly broken away, of one of the stamped steel ends; Fig. 3 is an edge view thereof looking toward the left; Fig. 4c is a perspective view of a stamped steel side bar; Fig. 5 is a view of a modified form of the stamped steel end and Fig. 6 is perspective View of this improved stamped steel couch. ill strating the same when made in accordance with the construction shown in Fig. 5.

Similar characters of reference indicate corresponding parts throughout the different figures of the drawings.

In the present embodin'icnt of the invention the couch is made up of a pair of end frames 2, shown as one the duplicate of the other and each formed of stamped metal or steel and in the one form thereof as an integral structure. These end frames are connected by a pair of side bars 3, which in by a woman than an furthermore. be stored away 111 a ll J practice may be formed of stamped steel or metal. The end frames are so formed that a suitable yielding mattress supporting means 4 may be readily connected thereto without the use of machinery or any particular form of tools other than a button hook, and suitable tension strips 5 are used to prevent the tension of the metallic fabric or other yielding mat-tress supporting means from spreading the lower ends of the end frames. In practice the end frames, each, as stated, made of stamped steel or metal, may have any suitable form as may be found most desirable in practice to give stability and an ornamental appearance thereto if desired.

In the present embodiment each end frame is reinforced in some suitable manner, as for instance by the use of ribs running in different directions, and is also provided with means for the attachment of the side bars, this means being in the present in stance so formed that a stamped steel side bar, or a tubular, or an angular formed side bar may be used, as may be found most desirable in practice. In the form shown each of the stamped steel ends 2 comprises a pair of supports or legs 6 and a connecting horizontal or transverse member 7, all stamped at one operation. The upper edge of the member 7 is bent upon itself in opposite directions, as at 8, not only to reinforce the stamped end but also to form a hook as it were for the hooks of the metallic fabric when this form of yielding mattress'supporting means is used. To give stability to this bent over portion suitable struck up ribs 9 are formed, some of which may terminate, if preferred, in a horizontally extending struck up rib 10 for giving stability and rigidity to the member 7 of the end frame, which horizontal rib may itself terminate in diverging struck up ribs 11, 12 extending lengthwise of each leg for giving stability to the leg. In addition, the ribs 9 of the bent over portion of the end frames may be intersected by a struck up rib 13 running lengthwise of the member The lower ends of the legs are bent upon themselves, as at 14, to form caster sockets and also to permit the loops 15 of the tension strips 5 to be located thereon. In practice each of the stamped steel ends is provided with a socket 16, which is shown of such shape that it may be interchangeably used with either a stamped steel side bar or with a tubular or with an angle iron side bar, and for this purpose each leg is provided with a socket or bulged portion of angular formation whereby it will receive the end of a stamped steel side bar or an angle iron or a tubular side bar, one edge of the socket portion being of semi-circular form, as at 17, so that a tubular bar may be used if preferred.

be two parts together and rigidity and stability to the tongue or upper portion of the leg.

forced by reason of their curved or ,of the length of the couch bed, which upper end is thus in the form of a tongue conforming to the shape of the connecting member 7, whereby stress on the bent portion of the member 7 will tend to throw the lower portion 22 thereof into engagement with the upper end of the leg, in a manner which will readily understood, thus interlocking the giving additional As hereinbefore stated the metal end shown in Fig. 5 may be of substantially the same form as the metal end shown in Fig. 1, that is have the same form of reinforcing ribs and PlOjQCtlIlg sockets for the reception of the side-bar, but in the present instance the transverse portion 7 is reinforced lengthwise thereof by reason of its bent for mation and also by reason of the tongues 21 of the legs 6 which overlap such part 7 at the ends of said part 7, thus reinforcing it at these points transversely of the length of said part 7, while the legs 6 are reinprojected formation thus reinforcing them lengthwise thereof in a manner which will be obvious. Thus it will be observed that the metal ends shown in both forms herein are reinforced, the legs in the direction of their length and the transversely connecting member 7 or 7 both lengthwise thereof and crosswise thereof.

The edge of the bent portion of the memher 7 or 7 is preferably provided with vshaped slots 24 for the reception of the hooks 25 of the metallic fabric 4, thereby to hold such hooks against displacement.

In assembling the members of the couch it is merely necessary to insert the side bars into their receiving sockets of the end frames, whether these side bars be in the form of stampedsteel bars, or angle iron bars, or tubular bars, slip the loops of the tension strips 5 on the lower ends of the legs, attach the hooks at one end of the metallic fabric 4 to the upper edge of one end frame, and then, by means of a button hook, attach the hooks along the opposite end of the metallic fabric to the other end frame, whereby the structure is completely assembled in readiness for use.

From the foregoing it will be observed that by means of this improvement a dealer can not only use the form of side bar which he may find to be the least expensive or the most desirable, whether it be an angular bar, or a tubular bar, or a stamped steel bar, but he can have a large quantity of these couches shipped to him unassembled and readily assemble them as sold.

In view of the fact that a very much larger quantity of these couches can be shipped in a single car unassembled than is possible with assembled couches, the cost of production, which of course includes the cost of transportation is very materially decreased. Not only tiis, but a dealer can carry in stock a great many more couches, since a larger The side bar receiving sockets of the legs are sufliciently deep so that the tension of the metallic fabric 4, resisted by the tension strips 5, will maintain the side bars in position without any fastening means or rivets, in a manner which will be readily understood.

I claim as my invention:

1. A knock'down couch bed comprising a pair of metal ends each constructed entirely of stamped sheet metal and consisting of legs or supports and transversely extending members, a metallic fabric connected to said transversely extending members and stretched under tension therebetween and effective to draw said ends toward each other, and connections between said stamped metal ends for maintaining them properly spaced apart and the fabric under tension.

2. A knock-down couch bed consisting of a pair of reinforced metal ends each constructed entirely of stamped sheet metal and consisting of a pair of legs and a trans versely extending member, a metallic fabric connected to said transversely extending members and stretched under tension therebetween and effective to draw said ends to ward each other, and connections between said stamped metal ends for maintaining them properly spaced apart and the fabric under tension.

3. A knock-down couch bed consisting of a pair of reinforced metal ends each constructed entirely of stamped sheet metal and number thereof can be stored in a much smaller space than is possible with assembled couches. Furthermore, as hereinbefore stated, no machinery or tools of any special form are required to assemble the couches, and they can be made quickly and comparatively inexpensively by means of a hydraulic press, so that the dealer can manufacture his own couches if he so prefers, by simply buying a hydraulic press and stamping out the end frames each formed as a plurality of members or as an integral structure, as he may prefer, one stroke of the press forming each end frame complete with its reinforcing ribs and side bar receiving sockets and bending them into shape to give the greatest stability and rigidity thereto.

It will be understood, of course, that the various details of construction may be more or less modified without departing from the scope of this invention, and that the ribs may be located in any desired manner an comprising legs and a transversely extendof any desired form. In the present 1n- 111g member, a metallic fabric connected to said transversely extending members and stretched under tension therebetween and effective to draw said ends toward each other, and rib reinforced stamped sheet metal side bars connecting said stamped metal ends for maintaining them properly spaced apart and the fabric under tension.

4:. A knock-down couch bed consisting of a pair of metal ends each constructed entirely of stamped sheet metal and comprising a pair of legs and a transversely extending member and each having recesses or sockets each projecting from the metal of the end, a metallic fabric connected to said transversely extending members and effective to draw the ends toward each other, and side bars projecting into said sockets for properly maintaining the ends spaced apart and the fabric under tension.

5. A knoclcdown couch bed consisting of a pair of metal ends each constructed en tirely of stamped sheet metal and comprising a pair of legs and a transversely extending member and each having recesses or sockets each projecting from the metal of the end, a metallic fabric connected to said transversely extending members and effective to draw the ends toward each other, side bars projecting into said sockets for stance they are so located that they will not only give rigidity and stability to the end frames, but ornament and give an artistic appearance thereto. The side bars when of stamped steel may have also a longitudinally extending rib 26, or a plurality thereof, as may be found most desirable in practice to give sufficient rigidity and strength to the bar.

From the foregoing it will be further observed that in the embodiment shown the only rivets used in the make up of the couch are those which are used to connect the looped end of the tension strip 5, and as these looped ends are formed prior to the attachment of the tension strip to the couch it follows that the asseml'ilage thereof is obtained by merely slipping the loops on to the lower ends of the legs, so that to all intents and purposes the couch is made an assembled without the use of any rivets or fastening means for connecting the several. parts forming the couch together.-

It will also be observed that the metallic fabric t when in position tends to pull the connecting members 7 of the end frames toward each other, which, of course, tends to spread the lower ends of the end frames, which is overcome by the tension strips 5.

ing a pair of metal ends each constructed entirely of stamped sheet metal and comprising a pair of legs and a transversely exproperly maintaining the ends spaced apart and the fabric under tension, and tension strips connecting said ends below the side bars for preventing the spreading of the tending member having its upper portion ends. bent in opposite directions to reinforce the same and form a hook-shaped edge, a metallic fabric having hooks connected to said hook edges and stretched under tension between said ends, and means for maintaining said ends spaced apart and comprising side bars, each of said ends having a pair of side bar receiving sockets each projecting from the metal of its end and each of said sockets constructed to interchangeably receive different forms of side bars.

12. A metal couch comprising a pair of stamped metal ends each consisting of a pair of legs and a transversely extending connecting member having a bent edge for the reception of the hooks of a metallic fabric, a metallic fabric connected to said transversely extending members and stretched un der tension between said ends, each of said ends having a pair of side bar receiving sockets, and side bars havin their ends inserted into said sockets, each of said legs having its lower end bent to form a caster receiving socket.

13. A metal couch comprising a pair of reinforced stamped metal ends each consisting of a pair of legs and a transversely extending connecting member having a bent edge for the reception of the hooks of a metallic fabric, a metallic fabric connected to said transversely extending members and stretched under tension between said ends, each of said ends having a pair of side bar receiving sockets, reinforced stamped metal side bars having their ends inserted into said sockets, each of said legs having its lower end bent to form a caster receiving socket, and tension strips below the side bars and connecting the lower ends of the ends for preventing the spreading of the ends.

14. A metal end for a couch bed constructed entirely of stamped sheet metal and consisting of a pair of le s and a trans versely extending member having an outwardly bent upper edge forming a hook for the reception of the hooks of a metallic fabric, said end being reinforced in different directions.

15. A metal end for a couch bed constructed entirely of stamped sheet metal and consisting of a pair of legs and a transversely extending member having an outwardly bent upper edge forming a hook for the reception of the hooks of a metallic fabric, said end being reinforced in different directions and also with side bar receiving sockets each projecting from the metal of the end.

16. A metal end for a couch structed entirely of stamped sheet 6. A couch bed comprising a pair of stamped sheet metal ends consisting of supports and transversely extending members, each of said ends having sockets or recesses each constructed to interchangeably receive different forms of side bars, a metallic fabric connected to said transversely extending members and stretched under tension therebetween and effective to draw said ends toward each other, and side bars fitting into said sockets for maintaining the metal ends spaced apart and the fabric under tension.

'7. A knock-down metal-formed couch bed. comprising a pair of metal ends each constructed entirely of stamped sheet metal and consisting of a pair of legs and a transversely extending member having a bent over edge forming a hook for the reception of the hooks of the fabric, having hooks and a metallic fabric stretched under tension be tween said ends, and means for maintaining said ends spaced apart and the fabric under tension.

8. A metal formed couch bed comprising a pair of stamped metal ends each consisting of a pair of legs and a transversely extending member having a bent over edge for the reception of the hooks of the fabric, having hooks and a metallic fabric stretched under tension between said ends, and means for maintaining said ends spaced apart and the fabric under tension, each of said bent edges having means for preventing the sidewise movement of the hooks.

9. A knock-down metal couch comprising a pair of metal ends each constructed entirely of stamped sheet metal and comprising a pair of legs and a transversely ex tending member having its upper portion bent in opposite directions to reinforce the same and form a hook-shaped edge, a metallic fabric having hooks connected to said hook edges and stretched under tension between said ends, and means for maintaining said ends spaced apart.

10. A knock-down metal couch comprising a pair of metal ends each constructed entirely of stamped sheet metal and comprising a pair of legs and a transversely extending member having its upper portion bent in opposite directions to reinforce the same and form a hook-shaped edge, a metallic fabric having hooks connected to said hook edges and stretched under tension between said ends, and means for maintaining said ends spaced apart and comprising side bars, each of said ends having pair of side bar receiving sockets each projecting from the metal of its end.

11. A knock-down metal couch compris bed conmetal and consisting of a pair of legs and a transversely extending member having an outwardly bent upper edge forming a hook for the reception of the hooks of a metallic fabric, said end being 1' intorced in different directions and also provided with side bar receiving sockets each projecting from the metal of the end, each of said sockets constructed to interchangeably receive different forms of side bars.

17. A stamped sheet metal end for a couch bed comprising a pair of legs and a trans versely extending connecting member said end provided with projecting side bar receiving sockets one side of each socket having a curved form whereby the sockets are adapted to interchangeably receive (litterent forms of side bars.

18. A. stamped sheet metal end for a couch bed comprising a pair of legs and a transversely extending connecting member hav ing an outwardly bent upper edge for the reception of the hooks of a metallic fabric, said end having a pair of side bar receiving sockets formed to interchangeably receive different forms of side bars.

19. A knock-down metal couch comprising a pair of metal ends each constructed on tirely of stamped sheet metal and comprising a pair of legs and a transverse connecting member, said transverse member and the upper ends of said legs having means for interlocking them together by the insertion in the direction of the length of the couch of a part Of one member into a part oi another, a metallic fabric directly connected to and stretched between said ends, and means for maintaining said ends spaced apart.

20. A knock-down metal couch comprising a pair of metal ends each constructed entirely of stamped sheet metal and com prising a pair of legs and a transverse connecting member, said transverse member and the upper ends of said legs having means for interlocking them together by the insertion in the direction of the length of. the couch of a part of one member into a part of another, a metallic fabric connected to and stretched between said ends, and means for maintaining said ends spaced apart, said tranverse member and interlocked portion of said legs having reversely bent portions conforming one to the other.

21. A knock-down metal end "for a couch bed, comprising a stamped sheet metal transverse connecting member and a pair of legs Gopies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by Washington, D. G.

for connection therewith, said transverse member and legs having one a part inserted throu h the other in the direction of the 0 length oil? the couch for interlocking them.

22. A knock-down metal end for a couch bed, comprising a stamped sheet metal transversely connecting member and a pair of stamped sheet metal legs, said transverse member and legs having one a part inserted through the other in the direction of the length of the couch bed and said transverse member and interlocked portions of said legs having reversoly bent portions conforming one to the other.

A knock-down metal end for a couch bed, compr'sing a metal transverse connecting member having adjacent its ends openings therein, and metal legs therefor having tongues inserted into said openings in the direction of the length of the couch, said tongues and transverse member having reversely bent portions conforming one to the other.

2%. A knock-down metal end for a couch bed, comprising a transverse connecting member and a pair of metal legs and having means for interlocking them together, said means consisting of a pair of openings for the reception of a pair of tongues inserted through said openings in the direction of the length of the couch bed.

25. A knock-down metal end for a couch bed, comprising a reversely bent reinforced stamped sheet metal member, a pair of legs interlocked therewith adjacent to its ends, the structure having openings and tongues inserted through said openings in the direction of the length of the couch bed for interlocking the parts.

26. A knock-down metal couch comprising a pair of struck up reinforced metal ends each constructed entirely oi? stamped sheet metal and comprising a pair of legs 1 0 and a transverse connecting member, said transverse member and the upper ends of said legs having means for interlocking them together by the insertion in the direction of the length of the couch of a part of one member into a part of another, a me tallic fabric directly connected to and stretched between said ends, and means for maintaining said ends spaced apart.

CHARLES L. PLUNKETT.

Witnesses H. l). Pnnnnr, G. H. WEED.

addressing the Commissioner of Patents, 

